Emilio Gay’s unbeaten 84 led Northamptonshire to an eight-wicket victory over Derbyshire, securing their first win of a rain impacted Royal London Cup campaign.
The academy graduate saw the hosts over the line with three balls to spare in their chase of 178 for victory in a game reduced to 28 overs-a-side by morning rain.
The left-hander’s heroics came after the Steelbacks’ new-ball pairing of Curtley-Jack White and Ben Sanderson had both claimed career best figures of four for 20 and three for 29 respectively, reducing Derbyshire to eight for four before Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s swashbuckling 64 gave the still winless visitors something to defend.
Derbyshire’s batting woes this season have been well documented, and they were in trouble from the very first ball when White’s trapped Mitch Wagstaff LBW.
Sanderson’s first over brought greater carnage. Harry Came tried to hit the Steelbacks’ seamer over the top, only for Rob Keogh to pull off a stunning catch running back from mid-off. The next ball ripped out Tom Wood’s off-stump and although Alex Hughes survived the hat-trick, it was three in four for Sanderson when the Derbyshire skipper gloved one banged in short through to wicketkeeper Vasconcelos.
The visitors were in disarray, but Hudson-Prentice led a thrilling counter offensive. The all-rounder took three fours in an over and when the in-form Tom Taylor came on to try and halt the onslaught he too was met with disdain.
His 50 came off 37 balls before he took one swing too many at Graeme White and had his stumps disturbed, ending a fifth wicket stand of 106 with Brook Guest (45) who proved a perfect foil.
Another collapse followed as Anuj Dal, Alex Thomson and Guest were sent packing in rapid succession by Curtley-Jack White, but some late blows by Nils Priestley in a cameo of 25 gave Derbyshire hope.
Vasconcelos and Gay began steadily, the latter the more fluent, striking Dal back over his head for four as 50 came up in the ninth over.
Derbyshire fielded tigerishly pulling several shots back from the ropes, but the openers continued to accumulate and keep their side well up with the rate.
The hundred came up in the 16th over with Gay first to a maiden List A 50 from 41 balls with four fours, Vasconcelos (50) reaching his half-century soon afterwards with the help of six boundaries, before the Northamptonshire skipper skied one to long off off Thomson, ending the stand at 105.
Ben Curran added 12 before he was trapped LBW, bringing Keogh to the middle to play a crucial cameo.Keogh found power and placement from the get go, crunching his third ball to the cover boundary. He found the rope twice more and cleared it twice too on his way to 33 from just 16 balls to see the Steelbacks home.
Sunday the 8th of August is the David Capel Memorial Day as the Steelbacks welcome Somerset to The County Ground. £1 from each ticket sold goes directly to The Brain Tumour Charity.